The recent news of a pregnant woman whose charred body was found in a garbage container in Ruseifa, Jordan made me sick to my stomach. The young mother was found dead with her stomach cut open, throat slit, and her 4-month-old unborn baby dead and visible. There is a strong suspicion that she was most likely killed for reasons related to family honor. This is so upsetting!

Though authorities still haven't been able to indentify the woman, they are estimating her age to have been between 17 to 23 years old, according to The Jordan Times. Sources have suggested that her stomach being cut open could be an indication that this was an "honor" killing because the woman might have been pregnant outside of marriage. Ugh!

A few witnesses claim that they saw two men driving a truck approach a garbage container, dump a body, and then set it on fire after pouring what appeared to be a flammable substance. Police were luckily able to lift fingerprints from one of her hands that was not damaged by the fire, and are going over their missing person's files to help indentify the woman. An autopsy showed that the slitting of her throat is what ultimately killed her and that the 4-month-old baby was also dead and burned.

This is absolutely devastating! According to the Huffington Post, between 15 to 20 women die every year in the Arab world as a result of "honor" murders. Honor killing refer to the practice of murder within families because of dishonor their family or community. These so-called dishonorable acts are usually something ridicoulous like a woman dressing in an unacceptable manner, wanting to marry by choice, having sex outside of marriage, and engaging in homosexual relations. Unbelievable!

Even though the government has made efforts to curb these crimes they still continue. What's even more upsetting is the fact that murder in Jordan is usually punishable by death. But if it's an "honor" killing, many courts tend to reduce sentences, especially if the victim's family asks for leniency. Can you believe that? I can't wait to see the day when "honor" killings no longer exist. This backwards way of thinking is cruel, inhuman, and should no longer be happening in today's day in age.